Winter's ending, according to Pennsylvania's little Phil, so soon it will be time for the advent of spring cleaning. Here at the ranch, we don't wait for spring to tidy, but we like to ramp it up in spring all the same.
Now that Marie Kondo has a show in wide release on Netflix, it seems the whole world is abuzz with her lexicon of sparking joy and thanking houses for service. Tidying has become quite the trend. I know my minimalist friends have been on the tidy and decrapifying bandwagon for forever, so we can sit back and muse at her disciples as she tries to lead the masses.
In case you're wondering, Cowtown Minimalist has a few critiques of her concepts. Firstly, EVERYthing cannot spark joy, Marie. It just can't. This idea leads your flock to Container Store to buy more storage for those Precious Moments figurines (still creepy). That is NOT minimalist; it just means your boxes match.
Giggly Marie and her translator do not enlist the help of giant dumpsters for these folks (like the Hoarders chiefs do), and I think they should. Stacking 10 pairs of jeans neatly does not solve the problem of too much stuff, although admittedly, I now fold my yoga pants like she does.
The season of spring brings enthusiasm to minimalists of all kinds. Trim off the dead limbs that no longer serve, and encourage new growth. New growth is hard sometimes when seasons change. Divorce, death, kids growing up and moving out. It's hard to have the confidence to move forward when your roles become less defined.
Kids growing up, for example, is a season met with both joy and sadness, all balled up into one unfoldable fitted sheet. The joy, of course, of a job well done. The kid(s) is ready to join the adult world and leave your tutelage, and you are hopeful you'll get a pay raise when you're no longer the financial back up for said child. There is sadness, however, when you look at that box of legos, that shelf full of participation trophies, that stack of papers from second grade. What do you do with it all? It represents your life and your masterpiece. All that stuff is accoutrements from a job you no longer have. It's how you have self-identified for many years. Mama. House CEO.
There are new roles to fill. And bless them, they require less stuff! Roles like support system when the new job isn't what it seemed to be, or travel companion to see sights of the world that their history books lauded so long ago.
Embrace this change of seasons by letting go of the stuff that we've stored in glass cases, knowing that its absence doesn't diminish your previous role. Your children readily leave it behind, off to start their new lives without their trophies and legos. They know that stuff doesn't define their past, and their future will be full of different stuff, hopefully less stuff.
Welcome life's new seasons, for they encourage growth and discovery of new adventures and angles. Let go of things that don't serve you or your current role.
40 Bags in 40 Days is near approaching, so let's get ready to throw open the windows and throw out the crap!
